Rocker for piston-vanes



D CARROLL ROCKER FOR PISTON VANES- APPLICATION men mmzo. x919.

Patented Sept. 28, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

J. D. CARROLL. ROCKER FOR PISTON VANES. APPLICATION FILED JAN.20, I919.

, 0 I v w. my mm #10 a 3 8H mu mw d2 3 .w n T m A P J UNITED STATES gram OFFICE.

JOHN D. CARROLL, or WEST LAFAYETTE, INDIANA, AssIGNoR TO TURBO ROTARY ENGINE COMPANY, or EVANSVILLE, rNnrANA, A cORroRATIoN or INDIANA.

Application filed January 20, 1919.

To all to from it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN D. CARROLL, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at est Lafayette, in the county of Tippecanoe and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rockers for Piston-Varies, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to rockers or swivel blocks employed as guides and bearing members for piston vanes orblades in steam and gas engines of the rotary and oscillating type. In rotary engines of the eccentric pis ton type there are employed within the cylinder a rotating drum eccentric to the cylinder and fast on the engine shaft, and a series of radial vanes or blades turning about a stationary bearing concentric with the cylinder and eccentric to the drum, these vanes or blades extending through the circular wall of the drum and having both a sliding and an oscillating movement relative to the latter. In Order to provide steam tight joints where the blades pass through the drum, cylindrical rockers or swivel blocks have heretofore been mounted in the drum and formed with central longitudinal slots through which the flat piston blade passes. The steam expansion space lies between the drum and the stationary cylinder or casing, and considerable difiiculty has hitherto been experienced in securing steam tight joints where the piston blades pass through the drum, itbeing necessary to pack both the joint between the blade and the rocker and the'joint between'the rocker and its bearing in the drum.

The principal object of the present invention is toprovide an improved rocker, and

more particularly improved packing devices therefor, by which steam tight joints may be secured, friction and wear may be reduced to a minimum, and the packing shall beselfcompensating for wear.

'lVith these and other objects in view, which will appear in the following detailed description, the invention consists in the nnproved structural features hereinafter described in one practical and improved form, and definitely ointed out in the claims hereunto appended? Referring to the accompanying drawmgs, wherein I have illustrated an embodiment of Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 28, 1920.

Serial No. 272,022.

the invention which has been found in practice to yield satisfactory results Figure l is an elevation, broken out between its ends and partly in longitudinal section of my improved rocker or swivel block;

Fig. 2 is a similar view as viewed from the bottom Of Fig. 1, and with one of the heads of the rocker in diametric section;

Fig. 3 is a cross section taken on the line 8--3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. l is an end elevation as seen from the right of Fig. 2;

5 is an enlarged detail in horizontal section on the line 55 of Fig. 1.

Figs. 6 and 7 are sectional views, in planes at right angles to each other, through a portion of the engine cylinder, piston drum, driven shaft and bearing boss, illustrating the relation of the rocker to the piston vane and other parts with which it immediately cooperates.

Referring to the drawings, 10 designates the circular wall of the cylinder within which is rotatably mounted a drum 11 that is keyed to the driven shaft 12 through a central web portion (not herein shown), the shaft being journaled in stationary bearing bosses 13 integral with the end walls of the cylinder. l iounted at intervals in the cylindrical portion of the drum 11 are rockers or swivel blocks designated as an entirety by 1 1 that are slotted lengthwise to receive the piston blades or vanes 15, which latter are rotatably mounted on the bearing bosses 13 through the agency of eccentric straps or bearing rings 16. The features thus far described are broadly common to engines of the eneral type referred to, and for a detailed description thereof reference may be had to Letters Patent NO. 1,320,531,

granted to me on the ith day of November,

Describing now the novel improvements with which the present invention is concerned, these relate to structural features of the rocker or swivel block 1d, and more particularly the packing features thereof, and are best shown in Figs. 1 to '5 inclusive. By reference to these views it will be seen that this member, which occupies a circular bearing seat 17 in the cylindrical portion of the drum 11 (Fig. 6) with its ends or heads the two strips are inserted springs journaled in circular bearings 18 (Fig. 7) in the web members of the drum, is, for purposes of assembling with the form of piston vanes herein shown, made in sections. These comprise two'main body pieces 18 of segment form in cross section that are spaced apart in parallel relation by segment blocks 19 interposed between their ends, and united by counter-sunk bolts 20. This construction provides a "central longitudinal slot' 21 through the rocker, through which slot extends the piston vane 15.

In order to provide steam tight joints be tween the contacting faces of the piston blade and rockerand of the rocker and its bearing 17, each of the segmental body pieces 18 is formed with a longitudinal slot 22, these two slots 22 lying in a plane atv right angles to the slot 21 which accommodate the piston vane, as clearly shown in Fig. 3. Within eachof the slots 22 are mounted with a snug sliding fit inner and outer metallic packing strips 23 and 24 respectively and these packing strips are connected to each other at intervals by tie-bolts each of which conveniently consists of male.

and female screws 25 and 26, the heads of which are counter-sunk in the outer faces of the packing strips 23 and 2%, respectively, whereby the spacing apart of the strips can be adjusted as; desired and the heads vof the bolts constitute stops'limiting the extent of outward movement of thestrips. Between that nor mally push thev strips apart, these springs conveniently taking the form of spiral compression springs 27 encircling the tie-bolts. The latter are so adjusted as to length as to permit the-two stripsto be normally forced slightly beyond thesur'faces which they are designated to pack, as clearly shown in Fig. 3. The side edges of the piston blade are packed against leakage of motive fluid throu h the a enc of short transversel 6X-' e a: y

tending packing strips 28 that areseatedv in sockets 29 in the inner faces of theends of the rocker, as clearly shown in F igs. 1 and 2,

:{andare normally forced outwardly, by

"strip on the side edge of -drum 11', as shown in Fig. joint of the rocker in these springs 30. Preferably, and as herein shown, the'inner or bearing edge of each 3 packing strip 28 is formed with a central transverse notch 3lwhich receives'a packing such as is shown and described in a co-pending application filed by me concurrently herewith Serial No. 272,021.

' The-ends ofthe inner longitudinalpackingstrips 23'are preferably, '60

and as herein shown,notched at 32 (Fig. 5) to straddle I the ends of the transverse packing strip 28.

The circular heads of the rocker are journaled in bearings in the web members of the shown in Figs. 1 and 2,

the piston blade,

7,-and a tight bearings issecured by means of an annular packing on each head consisting, as herein shown, of a split metal ring 33 that is seated in an annular groove or channel 3% formed in the head; The ring 33 normally expands under its own elasticity to a diameter slightly in excess of the diameter of the head, so that its outer surface maintains a steam-tight joint with the circularwall of the bearing, this being enhanced by forming one or more narrow grooves or channels 83 in the outer surface of the ring. This-outer surface is furthermore slightly tapered or beveled, as

tofacilitate assemblingof the ends of the rocker in their bearings. Each ring is locked against rotation by forming in the inner edge thereof a shallow notch 35 (Fig.2) that isentered by one ing strips 24. 7

I The above described construction is one which readily lends itself to facility of manufacture and assembling, and in practice hasbeen, found to possess the qualities of eificiency and durability'in a high degree. The packing strips are selfvadjusting to fit any slight irregularity in the surfaces which they-engage, and they also "automatically take upsuch wear as occurs from long con tinued use.

.It will be manifest that the benefits and advantages secured by my invention are not dependent wholly-upon the employment of all the "detail structural features herein shown and described, and that the latter are capable of modification and variation without involving any departure from the printon vaneand with longitudinal slots in the sides of said body in a plane at right angles to said'firstnamed slot, inner and outer packing strips lying in each of said lastnamed slots, springs between said packing strips forcing them apart, and means for limiting the extent of outward movement of each of said packing strips. Y 7

2. A rocker for piston 'vanes, consisting of a cylindrical body formed with a central longitudinal slotto accommodate a piston vane andwith longitudinal slots in the sides of said body in a plane at right angles to said first-named slot, inner and outer packing stripslyingin each of said last-named slots, tie-bolts connecting each pair of inner and outer strips at spaced intervals and limiting their extent of outward movement, and springs between said strips forcing them apart.

3. A rocker for piston vanes, consisting of a cylindrical body formed with a central longitudinal slot to accommodate a piston vane and with longitudinal slots in the sides of said body in a plane at right angles to said first-named slot, inner and outer packing strips lying in each of said last-named slots, tie-bolts connecting each pair of inner and outer strips at spaced intervals and limiting their extent of outward movement, the heads of said tie-bolts being countersunk below the bearing surfaces of said strips, and coil-springs encircling said tiebolts and forcing said strips apart.

4:. A rocker for piston vanes, consisting of a cylindrical body formed with a central longitudinal slot to accommodate a piston vane and with solid ends or heads, springpressed packing strips in the sides of said body and projecting through the side walls of said longitudinal slot, and other springpressed packing strips mounted in the heads of the rocker and projecting through the end walls of said longitudinal slot.

5. A rocker for piston vanes, consisting of a cylindrical body formed with solid ends or heads, a central longitudinal slot to accommodate a piston vane, and longitudinal slots in the sides of said body in a plane at right angles to said first-named slot, inner and outer packing strips lying in each of said last-named slots, springs between and forcing said strips apart, and other springpressed packing strips mounted in the heads of the rocker and projecting through the end walls of said longitudinal slot.

6. A rocker for piston vanes, consisting of a cylindrical body formed with annularly grooved solid ends or heads, a central longitudinal slot to accommodate a piston vane, and longitudinal slots in the sides of said body in a plane at right angles to said firstnamed slot, inner and outer packing strips lying in each of said last-named slots, springs between and forcing said strips apart, other spring-pressed packing strips mounted in the heads of the rocker and projecting through the end walls of said longitudinal slot, and elastic split packing rings mounted in the annular grooves of said heads.

7. A rocker for piston vanes, consisting of a cylindrical body formed with annularly grooved solid ends or heads, a central longitudinal slot to accommodate a piston vane, and longitudinal slots in the sides of said body in a plane at right angles to said first named slot, inner and outer packing strips lying in each of said last-named slots, springs between and forcing said strips apart, other spring-pressed packing strips mounted in the heads of the rocker and projecting through the end walls of said longitudinal slot, and elastic split packing rings mounted in the annular grooves of said heads, said packing rings being notched laterally to receive the ends of said outer packing strips whereby said rings are locked against turning.

JOHN CARROLL. 

